Mr Oyeleke said, “It (fraud) damages the image of the country and other good Nigerians in the U.S especially.’’
The 47-year-old Lagos-based socialite was released from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons’ custody in Fort Dix, New Jersey, on November 15, 2024.
Mr Rufai is to pay $604,260 as restitution. This is contained in court documents obtained by Peoples Gazette.
Aspirants that fail to disclose records of criminal misconduct and conviction to the screening panel risk disqualification.
For the offence of wire fraud, Mr Rufai stands to face up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, a period of supervision following release from prison of up to five years.
Mr Abiodun, with jail number 8600B9436, had filed an application for a redaction of his criminal records in Miami Dade, Florida.
The court documents described the investigation in Mr Rufai’s case as “voluminous and complex.”
The forfeiture order was granted on Tuesday.
Abidemi Rufai, a longtime associate of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, has been a wanted person since 2017 for filing 652 fraudulent tax returns in the U.S.
The police in the U.S. on May 14, arrested Mr Rufai, at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport while trying to fly to Nigeria via Amsterdam.
